What would you pay/charge for a heavier warhorse?

[frankthedm]

As PCs level up the PHB mounts are quickly found to be lacking, see this thread. If this fine beast was available, how much would a fair price be? Keep in mind adding just a single Hit die to the 150gp light war horse increased it's price 250 gp. In comparison to the light warhorse, the 400 gp Heavy Warhorse is noticably stronger, but only has speed 50'.

Extra Heavy Warhorse:
HD: 6d8+24 (51 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 60 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (–1 size, +2 Dex. +5 natural), T 11, FF 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13
Attack: Hoof +8 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack: 2 hooves +8 melee (1d6+5) and bite +3 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +6, Spot +5
Feats: Endurance, Run, Improved Natural Armor
Red Hare’s light load, 459 pounds; medium load, 460-918 pounds; heavy load, 919-1380 pounds. It can drag 6900 pounds.

 

[Shade]

I voted 1,260 gp, but I think that the money would be better spent on a more exotic mount, like a gryphon, hippogriff, etc.

 

[DaveyJones]

i voted go find the old article in Dragon from around 1985 or so.

something like the Quality of horseflesh.

 

[Drowbane]

I voted 800gp

However, thats alot of cash to throw into something that still won't last 3 fights... or that you'll end up leaving outside the dungeon.

edit: 2500gp? I'm obviously missing something...

 

[frankthedm]

I voted 1,260 gp, but I think that the money would be better spent on a more exotic mount, like a gryphon, hippogriff, etc.

Spent on? That can't even buy half a griffon egg. And then you have that counting chickens before they hatch situation...

Griffon eggs are worth 3,500 gp apiece on the open market, while young are worth 7,000 gp each. Professional trainers charge 1,500 gp to rear or train a griffon.

8500 gp seems to be the price on a trained 7 HD griffon.

The much wimpier 3 HD Hippogriff mount sets the rider back 4000 gp.

Hippogriff eggs are worth 2,000 gp apiece on the open market, while young are worth 3,000 gp each. Professional trainers charge 1,000 gp to rear or train a hippogriff.

You won't catch me 3 HD away from terminal velocity!

And both of these lightweights can only carry 300 LB and still be able to fly. 40lbs of that is taken by the exotic military saddle {using the normal saddle to save 10 lbs here not recommended] so there really only is 255 lb to work with since the rider probably forgot his cloths have weight that he, not his mount, gets to ignore. Given what Mount Feed tends to weigh, a Ring of Sustenance may be good investment as well.

 

[frankthedm]

However, thats alot of cash to throw into something that still won't last 3 fights... or that you'll end up leaving outside the dungeon.

Maybe if you heal the thing a little bit it will live longer than 3 fights. It has more HP than a 5th level paladin's mount. The AC is a notch worse, but studded leather barding is a good value.

A lot of cash? For a 4th level character maybe, but at 4th level your party, not just your mounts will be dying from a fireball.

 

[Shade]

Spent on? That can't even buy half a griffon egg. And then you have that counting chickens before they hatch situation... 8500 gp seems to be the price on a trained 7 HD griffon.

OK, you got me.

I guess I'm just saying I'd rather save up for a magical mount then stick with an animal. Any way you look at it, a mount is toast at mid- to high- levels unless it has some character's class feature beefing it up.

But your stats look good, and the pricing seems reasonable.

And forget the barding...what mounts really need are cloaks (saddle blankets?) of resistance!

 

[frankthedm]

Any way you look at it, a mount is toast at mid- to high- levels unless it has some character's class feature beefing it up.

Most of those clase features are just HD, a bit of natural armor and Evasion.

And forget the barding...what mounts really need are cloaks (saddle blankets?) of resistance!

Well, maybe if players gave their Mounts the magic item hand-me-downs rather than selling the items off at half rate, the mounts might live longer.

 

[Rhun]

I voted for 800gp. The number of encounters that your mount is usable in might be a better factor in how valuable the horse would be.

 

[Anti-Sean]

For comparison's sake, you may want to have a look at the Magebred template from the Eberron Campaign Setting. It doubles the price of the base animal, but increases natural armor, physical stats, and either speed or an additional natural armor boost. A Magebred Heavy Warhorse could have 38 HP and Spd 60 at a market price of 800 gp, while a Magebred Light Warhorse could have 28 HP and Spd 70 and go for 300 gp.